The Half of Me | Zuko

Chapter Eighteen: The Siege of the North: Part 2

Ryoko stood with the water tribe members, all of them trying to figure out the next move during the ceasefire of the navy and the missing Avatar taking place. "I can't believe I lost him." Katara kneels to the ground, disappointed in herself. 

"You did everything you could. And Ryoko's right, now we need to do everything we can to get him back," Sokka says to his sister. "Zuko can't have gone far." Ryoko touches Katara's shoulder, making her turn towards the three. Tears built up in her eyes while she stares at them desperately. "We'll find him, Aang's gonna be fine." 

Ryoko bends down to Katara and rubs her shoulder gently. "We'll get him back, Katara. I promise." 

"Okay." Katara stands along with Ryoko as they get on Appa. Ryoko lightly smiles down at the large creature. It had been long since she'd seen him too and she missed him just as much. Katara glances down at Momo who still sat where Aang once was. "It's alright. You stay here, Momo - in case Aang comes back." 

He must have been oblivious to everything around him as he was in the spirit world. How far could they really have gone? For now she had to find the Avatar, instead of capturing, she would be saving him.

"Yip, yip." With that, Appa takes off, Sokka holding the reins as the girls sat on the large saddle. The cold took over, the snow blowing towards them. Ryoko couldn't help but shake. 

"Oh Ryoko, this is Princess Yue." Sokka says, introducing the two. Yue awkwardly smiles at the firebender with strange eyes while Ryoko waves politely, though she felt just as awkward. 

"Nice to meet you." 

"How do you know the Avatar?" 

Ryoko looked to her friends and purses her lips. "She's got some powers from a dragon and she was with Zuko," Sokka answers for her. Ryoko didn't have much else to say. The water tribe boy said enough for her, as confusing as the sentence sounded to the princess. Sokka looks back at Ryoko, curiosity in his eyes. "Why aren't you with Zuko?" 

All of them looked at her, awaiting an answer. Ryoko barely had the answer herself. "I need to stop my father," is what she says, "and we need Aang now."

She didn't want to say more and possibly expose how she truly felt yet. She couldn't say what was being done was wrong and that she would betray them for the tribe and the Avatar. She just wanted to get to talk to Zuko, maybe come to a compromise, one where no one gets hurt. It was a stupid dream though, no one getting hurt. Everyone she knew would get hurt at some point including her and there was nothing to stop it.

Ryoko knew the moment Zuko would see her standing with them, it would be over, anything they ever had including their friendship. Nothing she could do would prepare herself for that. It broke her heart, but it was was the right thing, she thought to herself, right?

Appa lands in the deep snow. Sokka gets off to search around, but to no avail, nothing. He turns back to the three girls and shakes his head. Ryoko sighs while Katara looks down in guilt. 

"I have a feeling though. I think we're close," Ryoko says to Katara. It was deep down, like a tether taking her somewhere, but it was so weak at the moment. Every time she thought about where Aang could be, she knew deep down it was wherever Zuko was and that she would have to confront him. 

"If you say we're close, I believe you," Katara then replies. Katara couldn't help but feel hopeless when they lost Aang and had no way of getting him back, but when she looked into Ryoko's eyes, there was a sense of comfort. The hope slipped back in. 

---

"I finally have you," Zuko says with a breath of fire to keep himself warm. He stared at him from across the small cave. "But I can't get you home because of this blizzard. There's always something."